One of hip-hop's most technically advanced wordsmiths, Tech N9ne's performances speed by with the explosive energy of a rock show and the high-velocity feats of an athletic event. Playing dozens of shows every year, Tech N9ne is one of rap's hardest-working live acts.

In 2017 and 2018 alone, he embarked on the Strictly Strange tour, the Strange Reign tour, the Planet tour, and the Independent Grind tour, taking his Strange Music labelmates and more across the country for displays of rap virtuosity.

Tech is at home at hip-hop festivals like Rock the Bells, Soundset, and Gathering of the Juggalos, as well as rock festivals like Rock on the Range, Rocklahoma, and Knotfest. With N9NA, his 21st album in a storied career, Tech N9ne is once again hitting the road with the It Goes Up tour.

Tech N9ne Background

Aaron Yates — better known as rapper Tech N9ne — is one of the most successful independent hip-hop acts in the world. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Yates absorbed an eclectic mix of influences: the gospel played by a churchgoing mother, the rock loved by his uncles, and the emerging waves of confrontational hip-hop by acts like Public Enemy and N.W.A.

Dubbed "Tech N9ne" due to his rapid-fire flow, Yates was an early technician of the high-velocity Midwest style known as "chopper rap." He captured the attention of multiple record labels throughout the 1990s, appearing on the soundtrack to a 1997 film, Gang Related, and Sway & King Tech's 1999 album This or That.

Tech N9ne's breakthrough came nearly a decade into the game when he co-founded his own label, Strange Music, in 1999. He's released 19 of his 21 albums on Strange, eventually breaking the record for most Top 10 appearances on Billboard's Rap Albums chart.

Tech had Top 5 debuts with releases like 2011's All 6's and 7's, 2013's Something Else, and 2015's Special Effects. In those albums, his genre-crossing style and jaw-dropping abilities found him working with superstars like Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Lil Wayne, The Doors, Serj Tankian of System of a Down, and Corey Taylor of Slipknot.

In 2015, Tech N9ne had a crossover hit with "Hood Go Crazy," featuring B.o.B. and 2 Chainz. His core audience has always been a passionate following of underground rap fans who see him command crowds at one of his many headlining tours.